Last year, I got a ticket in Newport going 58 in a 25 zone (Washington Blvd. around 11 AM).

A 5 point ticket because it was 30+ MPH over the limit. I told the cop he was right, I was speeding and there was no excuse. All true; I was wrong.

He said he appreciated the honesty, and because my record was clean, he dropped it down to 54 in a 25; 1 less than 30 MPH over the limit and 4 points.

Went to court and took the plea. Paid the $350 in exchange for a drop to only 2 points.

So I went from 5 points to 2. Additionally (and shockingly) my insurance (Geico) has gone down by $50 for each of the 6 month renewals since the ticket.

What you all need to understand is that the prosecuter is not acting in your best interest! He is acting in the courts best interest. How can they make more than $150 on a speeding ticket? Simple...Give the defendants a $350 pardon...does that sound like extortion to you? It does to me. The best thing to do is to take it to court if you can spare the time, it may be possible that the cop doesn't even show up. If you're really smart you will use the method of making the cop prove he/she was trained properly with the radar, when the radr was last cllibrated and serviced and at what time was his/her last summons issued using said Radar. If the Officer can not prove most or all of these the judge will either dismiss or lower the fines and points.

If you really want to fight this, there are several things you can do:

Write the police station and ask them for (this is your right, but give them enough time to honor the request):

1. A photocopy of both sides of the ticket, the cop usually makes notes on the ticket to remind him of that particular stop. You may find something to challenge.

2. Certification that the radar has been tested and calibrated properly.

3. The officer's certification that he was trained/qualified in using the device.

If any of these are not current, the judge has to dismiss the case.

I had a 4 point ticket and the prosecutor said it would be reduced to zero if I took the $350 deal. Most of the other people there had two-point tickets and he had said to me that he definitely recommended that I take the deal because I wouldn't want 4 points on my license.

FYI - I was pulled over right near the Beacon on Montgomery... there is a speed trap there so be careful!

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And the higher the education degree the lower the insurance premium rate. I bet if a non-smoker were competing with someone that smokes for a new job the non-smoker would get the job. Better health risk I guess. Psychologists associate bad credit, less educated, and smoking (all 3 seem to link) with more aggresive and risky driving behavior.

Do us all a favor and SLOW DOWN!

dontstealmyrocks - not all insurance companies charge premium for points (up to a point).

Remember, if you do decide to take the points, I believe , your insurance will go up as well.

Did you know that if your credit score is low it affects you annual ins. premium too?

I had a similar experience as Boken2JC, even though my offense was a 2-point offense.

I chose to take 2 points for $90 as opposed to zero points for $350.

From what I remember a 4-point offense cannot be reduced to zero points, though, no matter how much you want to pay.

Do check with your friendly prosecutor for details.

It looks like they have a speed trap set up on Marin Blvd. There is a sign up around 9th & Marin warning of the speed limit, and I saw a cop car positioned at the fire station. This has been going on for about a week now.

Boken had about the same experience I did-- wait for the DA, get an offer to plea out, cut a check for approx 3x more than the price of a speeding violation in exchange for no points. If you don't want to plea out, I think they schedule you to come in again, so they can arrange to have the officer who ticketed you show up.

I got a speeding ticket in JC last year and went to court to fight it (was not going to have 4 points put on my license without a fight!) and they put all the people with traffic offenses in the courtroom with the prosecutor - I did not bring a lawyer. For first-time offenders the prosecutor offered a plea deal where you pay $350 for pleading guilty to a no-point offense (forgot what it was)... much more expensive than the $105 ticket but I did not want the points. I was there for about an hour and a half because we had to wait for the prosecutor. Just be prepared to cut the check right there because if you don't have it I think you have to come back to court at another time - or wait longer to talk to the judge. Hope this helped!

I have a court date tomorrow for a JC speeding ticket and I am wonering what other people's experiences have been at municipal court. I know that each case is different but wondering how the process works and if anyone has ever done a plea bargain. I don't think that I have ever been in a court house before so it is more what to expect than legal advice that I am looking for.